Saturday, January 10, 2015

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! The "holiday break" is over and everybody is back to doing the usual, and even though we never actually left you over the holiday break like many others did, we're able to give you more news about your favorite sitcoms and updates about series on DVD! Let's get going.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

NBC's About a Boy has had its season trimmed from 22 episodes down to 20 episodes, which is not exactly a positive sign for the future of the series. (Deadline)

In case you missed last night's episode of Last Man Standing, which featured a Home Improvement reunion (and another surprise at the end), you may want to check it out online. (ABC)

Friends recently debuted on Netflix, and some have been wondering why the episodes are shorter than the ones on the DVD sets. Consumerist explains why. (Consumerist)

We've seen quite often in the past year how remakes are the big thing, and now it looks like we could be seeing a remake of the classic miniseries Roots. (Entertainment Weekly)

It looks like Fox will be "flipping burgers" for a while longer, as they have renewed Bob's Burgers for a sixth season. (SitcomsOnline)

It's almost time for pilot season on amazon.com once again, where you can select which pilots you would like to see become a new series on the streaming service. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

We're very excited about Shout! Factory's release of Maude - The Complete Series on DVD, but their press release mentioned something unique in the list of special features: two unaired episodes, "The Double Standard" and "Maude's New Friends." While episodes with those titles did indeed air, it turns out that there were earlier versions of those episodes that were taped and did not air (new "retooled" versions were put broadcast later), and those will be included on this set.

The Facts of Life - The Complete Series(DVD,
$199.99): You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the complete series of The Facts of Life on DVD. The 26 disc set contains every episode of the series, along with a nice selection of special features.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Mindy Cohn(Twitter), "Actor. Storyteller. Enthusiast. Optimistic worrier. Compassionate critic. i want adventure in the great wide somewhere - i want it more than I can say."

Claim to Fame: With The Facts of Life arriving on DVD this week, we're featuring one of the stars of the series as our Follow Me this week. Unlike many actresses, Mindy Cohn quite literally got her start on that series. In fact, she was attending a school in California much like Eastland when she was discovered by producers of the show who were researching what such schools are like. Later, she made guest appearances in series such as Charles in Charge and 21 Jump Street, but along the way, she also earned a college degree in cultural anthropology. Lately, she has been playing the voice of Velma in the Scooby Doo franchise, and has also made guest appearances on various TV shows, including last season's final episode of The Middle.Pick of the Tweets:"were we THIS young? um...yep! first day of rehearsal, season 2, " the facts of life" #throwbackthursdsy" (August 21, 2014)

Last Man Standing - "Help Wanted" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Since losing her teaching job, Vanessa has been spending her time hovering over the family, and it’s driving everyone nuts. Over at Kristin and Ryan’s house, Ryan and Kyle are wrapped-up in a zombie face-off to determine who knows the most about zombies and how to survive an apocalypse. Unable to land a new gig, Vanessa becomes discouraged, but Mike does everything he can to get her back doing what she loves.

Dr. Ken - "Ken's Apology" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Ken wants to apologize to a patient for missing an important medical detail, Pat advises against it, and the situation gets out of hand. Meanwhile, D.K. shakes things up at Dave’s parent/teacher conference.